If you went to Sunday school as a kid, you probably heard the story of the Ethiopian eunuch from the bible. He was a high court official of Kandake, the queen of Ethiopia. The story goes he was in Israel to worship at the temple, and on his way back to Ethiopia, he had a transformative encounter with Philip, the evangelist. One of the most popular questions about eunuchs out there is, “how does a eunuch go to the bathroom?”
Eunuchs undergo traditional methods of castration, which sometimes involve the amputation of both the penis and the testes, leaving a lot of curious people asking: how does a eunuch go to the bathroom?
To learn how a eunuch goes to the bathroom, you need to understand what it means to be a eunuch in the first place. First of all, what is a eunuch? How many types of eunuchs are there? In this article, we’ll take you through everything you need to know about eunuchs to help answer any questions you may have, including how a eunuch goes to the bathroom. Read on.
What Is a Eunuch?
Let’s start with the most important questions regarding eunuchs: what is a eunuch? Broadly speaking, a eunuch is simply a title for someone incapable of having sex due to natural causes or has been made so voluntarily or involuntarily. Sometimes a eunuch is someone who chooses to live like a eunuch despite being capable of sex and reproduction.
In most cases, though, a eunuch has to undergo castration. In some cultures, castration involves the amputation of the penis and urethra. This is the type of eunuch that most people are thinking about when asking how a eunuch goes to the bathroom. The existence of different kinds of eunuchs makes the answer to this question a little more complicated.
What Are the 3 Types of Eunuchs?
So, how does a eunuch go to the bathroom? That depends on what type of eunuch he is. Yes, there’s more than one type of eunuch. How many types of eunuchs are there? There are three types of eunuchs, depending on how one came to be a eunuch. These are:
Made by God
The first type of eunuch is the one who was born that way. These were usually men incapable of reproduction due to a birth defect. Boys born without one or both testicles, medically known as cryptorchidism, became eunuchs at birth. In other words, these were eunuchs made by God.
Made By Man
The second type of eunuchs are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by others through castration. Castration was a common practice in ancient times to induce impotence and remove sexuality. The testicles were removed or crushed. Sometimes the entire penis was cut off. The ruling class would usually castrate their servants to subdue them. The vast majority of eunuchs in ancient times became so through castration.
Made By Oneself
The third type of eunuch is those who became eunuchs by choice. These men chose not to marry in order to be fully committed in service to God. They performed work typical of eunuchs but were perfectly capable of reproduction. Paul, the apostle from the bible, declared that he lived without a wife in order to serve God.
How Does a Eunuch Go to The Bathroom?
When answering the question of ‘how does a eunuch go to the bathroom?’, we’ll focus on the second type of eunuch — those who became eunuchs through castration. Those born without testicles and those who choose to live like eunuchs, although they are capable of sex and reproduction, generally have their penises intact and pee the normal way.
It’s a whole different story for those who have been castrated. And for the purpose of this article, we are going to focus on deliberately castrated human males. To answer the question, it all depends on how one was castrated because different cultures throughout history have had various ways to go about it. Historically, there are two basic types of castration:
- Clean cut. One of the more common types of castration is where the penis and testicles are cut off. The exposed urethra forms a standard stoma from which urine can pass. These eunuchs can go to the bathroom while sitting down.
- Removal of the testes. Historically, simple removal of the testes is the most common type of castration. Since only the testes are removed, and the penis is left intact (testes are not needed to go to the bathroom), these eunuchs can go to the bathroom the normal way.
As you can see, how a eunuch goes to the bathroom depends on how he came to be a eunuch in the first place. If it’s through castration, how they were castrated also affects how they go to the bathroom. If only the testes were removed surgically or crushed, but the penis was left intact, they can go to the bathroom like any other man.
What If the Penis Has Been Cut Off?
On the other hand, if the penis and scrotum were cut off (clean cut), it can be a little challenging to go to the bathroom, but it’s not impossible. When the penis and scrotum are cut off, the exposed urethra forms an aperture (stoma) from which they can go to the bathroom. It all depends on how their culture goes about castration.
After cutting off the penis, the practitioner would insert a spigot or a tube into the urethra to keep it from closing. They would then remove the tube a few days later. Research suggests that male eunuchs whose penises have been cut off have to squat and spread their legs in order to urinate without a mess.
What Happens to A Eunuch If They Can’t Go to The Bathroom?
When done incorrectly, castration can lead to a wide range of problems. One of them is the inability to go to the bathroom. So, what happens to a eunuch if they can’t go to the bathroom? Being a eunuch can potentially lead to many urological problems, with one of them being chronic urinary retention.
This problem is usually caused by an incorrect method of amputation of the penis and urethra. Chronic urinary retention is a condition that develops over time. People with chronic urinary retention can urinate but cannot empty the urine from their bladders, which can lead to some severe complications.
Apart From Bathroom Issues, In What Other Ways Does Castration Affect Someone?
The amputation of the penis and testes can have many implications for a man. Since most testosterone is produced in the testes, eunuchs experience a significantly reduced sex drive. But the impact of castration goes beyond just the loss of sexual function. The drop in testosterone can lead to other effects.
For instance, someone who has undergone castration may experience secondary sex characteristics such as breast enlargement and loss of body hair. In ancient Italy, the castration of young boys before puberty was a common practice to keep their voices from deepening. These boys would go on to become castrati singers.
Bottom-line
While it all depends on culture and tradition, the part of a man’s anatomy that is cut off for him to become a eunuch is, in most cases, the scrotum and testes. However, some cultures cut off the entire penis, which can complicate things a little more. These men have to pee sitting down to prevent making a mess. I hope the question, “how does a eunuch go to the bathroom” has been answered by the above text. Tell us your thoughts about this topic in the comments section below.
